Our Friends at the Patent Office

Though the SEC received most of the attention in the fight to
liberate key government databases (the New York Times
called it the "world's most valuable financial database"), in some ways
the Patent database is even more valuable. Our Patent system
is one of intellectual property: you file a patent, people see
that you filed a patent, and they give you money to use that patent.

A Patent database is the very fuel that keeps the intellectual
property system going. It is mind-boggling that the Patent office
can't see that simple fact.